Courtesy of: EarthTalk®

Dear EarthTalk: Do condoms represent a significant portion of beach litter? Are there environmentally friendly condoms? —Wendy M., Olympia, WA

Condoms are often found discarded on beaches along with straws, bottles and other trash. About 900 condoms were found on Florida's beaches during a three-hour litter collection campaign in 1996. That's five condoms per minute. After conducting a 10-year study, Tidy Britain Group concluded that more than a third of the trash on west coast beaches arrives from North America. But Brits have little to boast about when it comes to prophylactic pollution. The British Environment Agency estimates Brits discard 61 to 100 million condoms per year, many of which end up in rivers, the sea and on beaches.

This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2011.